Hervey Bay Nurses' Conference

Location: Urangan QLD 4655

Every year Ausmed Education holds a nurses’ conference specifically designed for your location and aimed at assisting you to get rapidly up-to-date on current nursing topics. Attend this local nurses’ conference to gain a broad range of clinical and professional updates relevant to your practice. Take time out and network with like-minded colleagues. Find out:

What are some of the health priorities that you need to know about?

What nursing interventions make a difference, especially to those with chronic conditions?

Why is evidence so important to the way you practice?

What is the latest information about a range of current treatments?

Attend this local nurses’ conference and close gaps in your knowledge, skills, and practice.

Schedule Day One

8:30AM REGISTRATION FOR DAY ONE

9:00

Dr Karen-Ann Clarke

The Art of Active Listening

Perhaps the greatest myth of communication is that speaking is more important than listening. Active listening is a core component of any communication with a patient, family member, colleague, or friend. Asking, rather than telling, is a foundation of coaching and can guide a person to reaching the outcome that they may be seeking. Like any other skill, active listening can be learnt. What makes active listening so powerful and fundamental to the coaching process? Discover:

Why active listening oozes “I’m here. I’m available”

How active listening conveys empathy

Non-verbal communication skills that can enhance active listening

Tips for avoiding common barriers to active listening

9:45

Phillip Wells

The Future of Cardiovascular Nursing: Where Are We Heading?

Cardiovascular nursing is in the midst of revolutionary changes. So, how do these changes affect nursing care today and how will we manage these changes? This session will bring you up-to-date on:

The latest clinical care guidelines

The trends and traditions in cardiovascular care

The impact of chronic cardiac disease on quality of life

10:30 MORNING TEA

11:00

Lara Jones

Polypharmacy and the Prescribing Cascade

The use of medicines in older people is fraught with potential dangers. Prescribing of medicines increases as people age and the chances of interactions and unwanted side effects are greater. This session informs you of current trends in prescribing and alerts you to the special considerations of pharmacotherapeutics in older people. It includes:

Patient expectations and prescriptions

Significant risks and adverse medicine events

Ageing effects on pharmacokinetics

Common culprit medicines to watch out for

Periodic reviews of medicines and its role in the prescribing cascade

12:00

Dr Karen-Ann Clarke

How to Break Bad News

Delivering unfavourable news is an aspect of nursing that many people dread. The caring and compassionate nature of nurses is likely to mean that we are used to supporting others rather than initiating these challenging conversations. Nurses may benefit from practical strategies to assist in these circumstances. As such, this session will consider this important communication skill and discuss:

How to be realistic but not brutal

How to be sensitive but straightforward

How to respond to reactions

How to break bad news …

1:00PM LUNCH AND NETWORKING

2:00

Marj Speedy

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health: What’s New?

Literature tells us that there continues to be a divide between actual Indigenous health issues and received care within Australia, with Aboriginal people experiencing lower health outcomes to their Caucasian counterparts. In this session, you will hear about:

The local history and acknowledgement of the Traditional Owners the Butchulla people

A database of ATSI service contacts

Support and assistance to local families

3:00 AFTERNOON TEA

3:30

Dr Karen-Ann Clarke

Making a Difference – Positive Mental Health Experiences in ED

The impact of the environment on our mental health is well established, yet are we, as nurses, promoting positive environments? Do we actually understand how much difference a physical environment can affect our psychological wellbeing? This final interactive session on day one will challenge you to look at how the settings and systems within emergency departments can reinforce stigma. It includes:

Does the design and layout of an ED affect a person who has an acute mental illness?

How may certain systems such as security policies reinforce social stigmas?

“Diagnostic Overshadowing” – why must we understand this term?

What opportunities can nurses take to support people with acute mental illness?

4:30 CLOSE OF DAY ONE OF CONFERENCE

Day Two

9:00AM COMMENCEMENT OF DAY TWO

9:00

Lisa Doyle

Pre-Diabetes: A Window of Opportunity?

The statistics on pre-diabetes in this country are astonishing. This condition may be asymptomatic but leads to type II diabetes if untreated. Early diagnosis is key to reducing the risk of developing type II diabetes. Find out the latest information about pre-diabetes, including:

What is it and how is it diagnosed?

Who is more likely to develop pre-diabetes?

What education can nurses provide to prevent pre-diabetes from developing into type II diabetes?

Dietary friends and foes: What’s best?

10:00

Dane Lang

Legal Conundrums with Chronic Disease

Sometimes, chronic illness can affect a person to such an extent that they have to make serious changes to their lifestyle. However, the person may not have insight into their risks. This session looks at the implications for health challenges that require consideration as they may affect not only the person with the condition but also others around them. Using case studies, this session will discuss:

When does disability prevent driving?

What other common chronic conditions may pose risks?

What is your responsibility as a nurse?

10:45 MORNING TEA

11:15

TBA

Stoma Care: Tips for Best Practice

While most stomates, or people who have a stoma, will be able to manage their stomas effectively, understanding the background of the stoma, its role, and its placement, underpins its management. This session will include:

When is a stoma a treatment of choice?

Practical care considerations for ileostomies

Psychological considerations when assisting someone with their stoma

12:00

Megan Lynch

The Importance of Breast Cancer Nursing: How Nurses Can Make A Difference

Following the diagnosis of breast cancer, many women seek support, education, and advice on many issues. In this session, we will look at:

What specialist support is available for women with breast cancer?

Why is the role of breast care nurse so important?

What does the evidence say about the support and education provided to women with breast cancer and how it improves wellbeing?

12:45PM LUNCH AND NETWORKING

1:45

Lesley and Mike Storkey

Top Tips for Avoiding and Tackling Emotional Exhaustion

Emotional exhaustion is not dissimilar to physical exhaustion. But, while rest helps when physically exhausted, what happens when you reach the limits of your emotional stores? Emotional exhaustion draws on your ability to deal with emotional stress and relationships. This session will look at top tips for both avoiding and tackling emotional exhaustion. It includes:

Warning bells that signal emotional exhaustion

Tips for managing emotional stress while still accomplishing your goals

Six easy ways to get back on track when emotional exhaustion hits

How to assist others showing signs of emotional exhaustion

2:45 AFTERNOON TEA

3:15

Lesley and Mike Storkey

Healthy Relationships within the Workplace

This final session promotes healthy relationships within the workplace and includes:

What are the key factors that encourage healthy relationships?

Why is this important for managing people effectively?

What to do if things go wrong

4:15 CLOSE OF CONFERENCE AND EVALUATIONS

The Goal Need for Program

In regard to the nursing care you provide, the need to continually seek new information is a given no matter where you work. Nursing safety and quality are essential and both are directly linked to knowledge. This is a time when:

Health care budgets are under increased stress

The community purse is shrinking

Quality outcomes are now the goal of all care

Now more than ever, if safe, quality outcomes are to be achieved, it is important that you take a leadership role in providing outcome focused high-value care. This can be done by addressing emerging gaps in your knowledge through up-to-date information.

Purpose of Program

This program provides you with current knowledge relating to a range of professional and clinical practice topics that will improve how you provide holistic nursing care.

Your learning outcomes:

People with health risks will receive preventative nursing action in your care to avoid illness

Better patient outcomes will be achieved through the application of up-to-date knowledge related to specific nursing interventions

Interprofessional collaboration will be optimised to enhance patient outcomes

Patient outcomes will be underpinned by evidence-based practice, recognised standards, and guidelines

Presenters

Karen-Ann Clarke

Dr Karen-Ann Clarke is a Registered General and mental health nurse who has worked in a wide variety of acute ... Read More

Phillip Wells

Philip Wells is a Registered Nurse with over 30 years' experience in medical, surgical, and critical care nursing. In the ... Read More

Lara Jones

Lara Jones is a senior clinical pharmacist who completed her Bachelor of Pharmacy at James Cook University. She is an ... Read More

Lisa Doyle

Lisa Doyle has been called a lot of things over the years, notably Mum, Yank, a book nerd and an ... Read More

Marj Speedy

Marj Speedy is an Aboriginal woman of the Kooma Tribe, south-east Queensland. Her current position is Indigenous family support worker ... Read More

Dane Lang

Dane Lang is managing partner at Lewis & McNamara Solicitors. Since taking the reins, Dane has carried on Lewis & ... Read More

Megan Lynch

Megan Lynch is the McGrath Breast Care Nurse for the Fraser Coast Region. Megan has a wealth of nursing experience ... Read More

Lesley Storkey

Lesley Storkey is a leadership expert based in South East Queensland. She and her husband Mike Storkey form a partnership ...Read More

Mike Storkey

Mike Storkey is a business trainer and coach at Storkeys' Team, a business he co-founded in 2005. Mike and Lesley ... Read More